How Everyone Pays the Cost for Patents on Seeds, and Private Companies Get Rich From Keeping Them Secret
The United States is one of only a handful of countries that allows companies to hold patents on plant varieties. As a result, a small number of corporations can—and do—suppress competition in the seed industry, stifle innovation, and turn taxpayer subsidies intended for farmers into corporate profits.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has found that two companies control more than 70 percent of U.S. corn and soybean seed sales, and the top four cottonseed companies control nearly 94 percent of that market.
In a May 2026 court filing in a legal dispute between two U.S. seed companies, the Department of Justice said patents on seeds are obstructing competition and research in the agriculture industry.
As researchers who work on plant breeding and seed policy, we have seen how that plays out.
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